I love my readers. And I get a lot of amazing questions from them — some about skin care, some about cosmetics, some about life.
The only disadvantage to having such a smart, amazing reader base is that some of the questions I get are challenging, complex, and long to answer!
But I was talking to a co-worker about this the other day, and he suggested that I put the most enticing Q&A into a weekly post.
So, here we are! Let me know what you think — and your questions — in Comments and at nicki[at]futurederm[dot]com. You could be featured in a future post!
Why do people think parabens might be dangerous? -Sharon
@Sharon –
There are several places that people got the idea that parabens could be dangerous.The first is because very high concentrations of parabens have been shown to mimic estrogens. Though this is a vast simplification, higher levels of estrogens are associated with certain types of cancer development. (For instance, women who get breast cancer typically have more menstrual cycles in a lifetime, meaning more estrogens, whether through late menses, early menopause, a significant number of pregnancies or time spent breast-feeding). However, the concentration of parabens used in skin care and cosmetics has never been shown to mimic estrogens in the human body, at least not to my knowledge.
The second is because there have been studies that show parabens are present in breast cancer and other cancerous tumors. However, upon further inspection, the body has some natural production of estrogens; this is called “endogenous production.” There are also parabens in many food products, like blueberries and strawberries, which naturally grow parabens to preserve them from bacterial and fungal decay. The studies seemed to imply (or the people interpreting them implied) that parabens in products caused the parabens to appear in breast cancer tissue. In fact, the parabens could have been naturally produced by your own body, found in your food, and to a much smaller extent absorbed by skin care and cosmetics.
The third reason why this myth prevails is because it is very, very cheap to replace parabens with phenoxyethanol, benzoic acid, or other non-paraben preservative systems. Rather than go through the education process with potential customers, many find it easier to simply take parabens out of their products. However, this propagates the myth parabens are dangerous in the marketplace, and some non-paraben preservative systems are less effective against certain types of fungal species than parabens, so this only kicks the can down the road, so to speak.
Hope this helps.
All the best,Nicki
Is retinyl palmitate OK for use with sunscreen or not? -LÂ
Dear L,
Don’t worry — this all stems from a rumor put forth by the Environmental Working Group a few years ago. At the time, the EWG put forth this egregious rumor that palmitate or palmitic acid, a group that is commonly attached to other skin care ingredients, will cause skin cancer whenever it is exposed to UV light.This is not the truth. It has been revoked by many dermatologists and the EWG took a lot of heat for it:http://www.prnewswire.com/
Whether attached to vitamin A or vitamin C, palmitate is fine, as far as I know.
Hope this helps,
Nicki
Abnormal Blood Vessel…
Q: I have had a blood vessel just underneath my eye for a good few years now, but its starting to bother me […] i’m not 100% sure if it is a blood vessel or not i have been to my doctor before to see if i could get it removed and he said i could, but nothing ever went forward from that i’m looking to get back in contact with someone and go far with getting it taken off my face all together […] if you could give me some advice on what i can do and if i do get it removed how it would end up looking at the end -L
Dear L,
I think that the best thing for you to do is, honestly, see a dermatologist, who specializes in disorders and malformations of the skin. I recommend a teledermatology service, Dermatologist on Call, where you can upload photos of your blood vessel, describe your problem at length, and a board-certified dermatologist will respond to you within 11 hours, and be able to prescribe you a treatment plan and medication.
It is $49 with coupon code FUTUREDERM10, and *some* major insurances cover the service, though not all.
I am sorry, but I am not a physician and I don’t feel comfortable telling you what to do about a broken blood vessel. But if there are other questions you [or anyone else reading] have, please, let me know!
All the best,
Nicki
Deep Tear Trough
Q: Hi nicki, I am in search of a solution to one of my biggest skin concerns, I have been using your products for a few months now and have the best skin I have had in ages but no mater how nice I get my skin I am aged beyond my year by my dreaded tear troughs […] my tear troughs make me look worn out and tired all the time they add years onto my face, I can cover any darkness with make up so that’s not my concern and your eye cream has been great but I just can not cover the tear trough, no matter what the light will always catch them, the only solution I have found is to use fillers and apparently this is requested a lot for this problem and can work well I just really didn’t want to have to use fillers on my face this young, so I am writing to you to ask if you know of any creams that can fill in or plump up under the eyes, most creams for under the eyes de puff but I need some more puff, if you have any advise at all for this problem I would be so grateful, if there is no cream out there then I will have to start researching cosmetic fillers. Thanks, H
A: Hi H,
Tear troughs are awful. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through this.
The best solution is, unfortunately, to go to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to administer fillers, like Artefill or Juvederm, in the area. This creates a smooth, even appearance where the tear trough appears. If, after several months of fillers the condition does not improve, a dermatologist or plastic surgeon can then recommend lower eyelid blepharoplasty, in which the undereye bags are permanently removed.
If for one reason or another consulting a dermatologist or plastic surgeon is not possible at this time, there are a few over-the-counter solutions.
First, you want to treat the area with an agent to make the blood pooling in the region go away. I notice from your photo that your undereye region looks to be a little swollen with blood, so using an eye cream with Haloxyl, a peptide that is proven to facilitate the release of bilirubin and iron (two components of blood) from a region. Lumixyl Revitaleyes, Good Skin Eyliplex 2 ($22.85, Amazon.com
Second, you want to treat the area with agents that will temporarily fill in the area, like hyaluronic acid or silicones, but no caffeine, which can be dehydrating. I like Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum ($8.35, Amazon.com).
Finally, I would recommend using a product that is purely cosmetic to “lift” the area. I like this one, AminoGenesis Gone in Sixty Seconds Instant Wrinkle Eraser, or AminoGenesis EYE Control. They are one of my favorite brands thanks to their incorporation of 17 amino acids into their products, and they are also one of the first companies to focus on lifting, rather than just filling, the eyelid region.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Nicki
Are Antioxidants Like Sunboost ATB Also SPF? -K
Dear K,
Yes, you are correct. Sunboost ATB is a blend of antioxidants that is proven to boost sun protection; you can read more about that here, in a product informational brochure from the manufacturer.
Many other sunscreens may contain about 6.4% zinc oxide and 5.1% titanium dioxide and have SPF ranges anywhere between 30 and 50. When SPF is measured, the sunscreen is laid (quite thickly) across an even surface, and the penetration of UVB light is measured through the surface. As you would imagine, the antioxidants and the other ingredients in the formulation play a role as well. Even using something like olive oil as a solvent, which has a very small SPF on its own, would make a difference over using something like, say, butylene glycol, with no SPF at all.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Nicki
 
What are the Best Ingredients for Skin Sagging? -L
Dear L,
I hate to say this, because it sounds like I am straight-up selling you items I have made or sell in my Shop, but truthfully, the best ingredients for sagging are:
- Retinol (0.5% or higher)
- Vitamin CÂ (15% or higher)
- Tocopherol acetate (2% or higher)
- Niacinamide (4%)
- Matrixyl-3000
- Argireline
- Grape seed extract
- White tea
- Red tea
- Sodium hyaluronate
- Ceramides
- Amino Acids
- Growth factors or DNA repair enzymes
The first ten or so are found in our FutureDerm treatment pack.Â
Amino acids are in the AminoGenesis line. You can use their serum after our retinol.
Growth factors are in the AQ Skin Solutions line. You can use those day or night.
And, of course, sunscreen. I like zinc oxide because it blocks a higher percentage of long-wavelength UVA rays than titanium oxide, and prevents UV light from hitting the skin altogether, unlike chemical sunscreens.
Does this help? Please let me know!
All the best,
Nicki
Pimples on the Chin…
Hi Nicki,
As an avid follower of your blog, I am wondering if you can give me your opinion/suggestions on a recent skin concern of mine?
I’m 38 and never really had acne, although during my monthly cycle tend to have small acne develop along my chin area, which is semi-common. However, I’ve had huge cystic acne the last two cycles which take weeks to surface and have gotten so large they make my chin/neck look assymetrical/deformed.No changes in climate, skincare regimen and only minor changes in stress/diet/exercise – unforts more the former and less the latter. Any idea what is causing this? Would guess that I’m not pre-menopausal yet (!!) and wondering if there’s anything I can do/products I can apply to prevent this?
I use alba botanica pineapple-papaya face wash. I use ce ferulic in the am followed by nia24 screen and at night alternate between skinceuticals retinol 9.5 and neostata aha15 gel – with some sort of moisturizer on top (la mer, neutropenia anti-wrinkle, etc)….been using this combo for a few yrs and never any issues.
Would love any thoughts you have on what is causing this and any preventative action I can take. Any comments on how I can improve my product regimen would be great as well!
Here are a few questions, as well as some preliminary suggestions:
What area do you live in? Is this sudden? The cold weather can dry out the skin. In turn, the skin can amp up its production of oils reflexively, resulting in a mass of oil and breakouts.
1.) Skin Care Products. Wash the chin/affected areas with a 2% salicylic acid cleanser. Add in a on-the-spot 10% benzoyl peroxide treatment over top. Once dry, apply a sulfur on-the-spot treatment, like the one from Dr. Dennis Gross, to help dry out the lesions.
You may also want to take out the NIA24 sunscreen (which I love) until your skin stops being inflamed or irritated. Niacin, while very beneficial for the skin, can also aggravate redness and irritation.
This should help your skin, but may or may not help the underlying cause. If it is bacterial colonization of your skin only, it will help. If it is not bacterial only, well, see below.
2.) Physical Health. According to Chinese medicine, the chin/jaw area suggests hormonal imbalances, gynecological issues, or kidney imbalances. I would see your primary care physician or an endocrinologist to be sure your hormonal levels are resolved.
3.) Diet. Any time anyone has acne, especially suddenly, I suggest that they switch to a vegan diet for at least a few days and see if the symptoms resolve. Vegan diets include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and no dairy, fish, or meat. Use very little oil in your food and do not fry your food. Avoid spicy food, sodas, coffee, caffeine, and vinegar. Keep your diet basic and “cooling” — think brown rice, bananas, beans, lettuce, that sort of thing.
4.) Behavioral Health. Make sure you wash off your cell phone case thoroughly at least once per day. Make sure that you wash your hands and face thoroughly, and do not touch your face.
5.) Mental Health. Try to de-stress as much as possible. Sometimes adrenaline and cortisol can stimulate breakouts. Be sure you take time to take a walk, journal, meditate, have a massage, or get a calming bath.
Hope this helps,
Nicki
Bottom Line
Got a question?
Ask in Comments of this or any other post, or write to me at nicki[at]futurederm[dot]com. I will not publish your name, but I may publish your letter, unless you specify that’s not OK.
Happy to help!